The rise of progressives
Hark, the progressives are here! They’re here to save us from ourselves. The assumption that we need help is a bit insulting, but OK. They mean well.
Progressives love the idea of sustainability but have no idea of how to balance a budget. Bernie Sanders offers free college, without any idea of how to pay for the costs of a quality education. Ask Hawaii’s teachers and UH faculty how that’s going to work.
“Much of the social history of the Western world, over the past three decades, has been a history of replacing what works with what sounded good.” — Thomas Sowell
Too big to fail? Don’t believe it. The United States of America has not been seriously challenged by outside interests. We’re beating ourselves, internally. Our politically motivated spending is building debt, not equity. We risk being at the mercy of our competitors; China, Russia, and Europe.
History provides context, many times over. Most notably, the Roman Empire crumbled under its own excesses. Today, Greece and Venezuela offer examples of the effect of government largesse, and debt. The Hawaii Employee Retirement System’s $24 billion deficit offers proof of our political short sightedness. We continue to reelect the same officials, based on their campaign promises.
At the family level, a book was written by Robert T. Kiyosaki, “Rich Dad, Poor Dad.” It illustrates two financial strategies with equivalent incomes. One prudent Dad spends within his limits and builds equity. The other Dad spends for today and builds debt. The consequences are inevitable. Financial behavior results are the same at every economic level: Individual, family, community, church, county, state, country, and planet!
Progressive Democrats are attempting to make profit an evil concept. Progressives argue that corporate profit is obscene. They ignore the hundreds of thousands of unprofitable businesses forced into bankruptcy, and the loss of good jobs. Unprofitable businesses don’t last long. Only governments linger longer, on the spending and promises of legislators, that should know better.
“I have never understood why it is ‘Greed’ to want to keep the money you’ve earned, but not greed to want to take someone else’s money.” Again, Thomas Sowell
The one good effect of progressive aggression is the disruption of the Democratic Party, whose complacency has enabled the rise of these socialists. The fragmentation of Hawaii’s Democratic Party is an opportunity to review the excesses of political reelections. The promises of candidates, meeting the reality of “sustainability,” is the legacy of empty promises.
Mike Curtis, Koloa
I guess you are missing the news of the national debt that our regressive administration is incurring
Spot on, Mr. Curtis. The socialists in California are working on getting the voters to pass rent control, rather than have rents determined by the marketplace. If it passes the result will be massive conversions from rentals to condos with the renters offered the first right of refusal. Most will have to refuse, of course, or they wouldn’t be renters in the first place.
Great letter Mike! You’re obviously a Democrat who is appalled by the stupidity, short sightedness, and lack of common sense that is the Progressive curse on our “free” Nation! Might I suggest you take a deep breath and try something new, like put America first by JOINING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY! Only the insane among us would not realize what Einstein said was the definition of insanity IS TRUE!
Excellent points Mike. Will not make an ounce of difference to the progressives. They know better. They care.
Mr Curtis has some points to consider. (The State Pension System for example.) In other areas he is mistaken.
The state pension system deficit is not caused solely by “progressives”. It does show the failure of the public to elect representatives to office who will deal with the problem. Political hacks play fast and loose with pensions by calling them “entitlements”, in other word, this would also include Social Security and Medicare. Have you not heard how Mitch McConnell is now asking how to pay for these entitlements after he just passed a massive tax cut that few readers here will benefit from which will add an estimated $5.5T to the National Debt which rose to over $21T (that’s, $21,000,000,000,000) or $71,000 each.
This old NPR story is a report on research done by the Tax Policy Institute. Note who gets the money from the tax cut. Not you.
https://www.npr.org/2017/12/19/571754894/charts-see-how-much-of-gop-tax-cuts-will-go-to-the-middle-class
As the billionaire Oligarchy sloughs off more and more of their tax burden and places it on the “rest of us” wealth is concentrated into fewer and fewer hands. What is the Oligarchy going to do with all that extra wealth? Invest it, of course. One lucrative investment is housing.
I find it interesting that the Fed claims there is no inflation when rents keep rising and the price of homes becomes unaffordable. Inflation is caused by too much money chasing after too few goods. The Oligarchy is buying that home you thought you’d get and they are going to raise the rent until you have to move. This is called “gentrification” in some cities. No place for the working class to live.
“Rich Dad, Poor Dad” is a good plan for Dads, but the USA is something else. The dollar is a “reserve currency” which means it is backed by the full faith and credit of the US government. The tax cut guarantees that the government will have to issue more treasury bonds. Has anyone noticed that interest rates are rising? How many readers here buy treasuries? That interest is going to further add to America’s debt.
However, according to Modern Monetary Theory, debt isn’t always a bad thing. It depends on what the money (which is created out of thin air) is used to buy. Investments that improve American productivity (highways and schools) are good. Investments that just “blow stuff up” are bad. (Yep, the nearly $700B spent on “Defense” which is really American aggression in support of the Oligarchy in their efforts to burden the rest of the world with debt, does not help, or for that matter even protect, the Average American.)
Free college is estimated to cost only $62B. This article shows that the government already invested $69B into education. In other words, If college were free, the government would -save- money. So, what’s that huge section of the pie labeled “loans”? That is the burgeoning debt being loaded on students so that they will become pseudo-serfs to the Oligarchy. Much like the pay-day loan business, it is manipulation of money to force Americans to make poor life choices.
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/01/heres-exactly-how-much-the-government-would-have-to-spend-to-make-public-college-tuition-free/282803/
Progressives are not anti-business. I like my Apple products. I like Costco. But progressives do want to promote liberty and happiness for all Americans, not just the Oligarchy.
The Republican mantra about how the rich worked for their money is not exactly true. Or current President for instance has been shown over and over again to be a fraud and a cheat. But I guess it is more important for some people to be given permission to “hate” others than to get along with them.
“Greed” is not the same as keeping what you worked for. Greed allows one (such as our President) to commit frauds. Selling apartments in Panama at inflated prices only preys upon those who already have money. But running a phony for-profit college (Trump U) hurts the rest of us.
Zwiebel, is your brain that constipated that you take up a ridiculous lack of common sense cause and then vomit fake facts and figures to try and make some stupid point. My God you are a piece of work!
Just like his fellow babyman in the White House, Oswald has no articulated counter argument, just name calling and denigration! It’s like recess in the fourth grade!
You all are morons, progressives and conservatives. Grow up.